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Written question asked by Perran Moon (Labour) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Friday, 4 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Water: Contamination

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating year-round quality monitoring at designated bathing waters for sewage, pollution, and other harmful contaminants; and whether she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 to extend protections to all water users.

Answer

The Environment Agency (EA) monitors designated bathing waters during the bathing water season for E. coli and intestinal enterococci, indicators of faecal contamination. The EA monitors bathing waters more frequently than the statutory minimum sampling requirements.

In November 2025, Defra introduced greater flexibility to bathing season dates through reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, enabling the opportunity for monitoring periods to better reflect local use. Defra and the EA are assessing how this could work in practice, including the impacts of changes to season lengths.

We continue to consider whether to expand "bather" to include other water users.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
24507
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Contamination Pollution Monitoring Water Sewage Swimming
Legislation
Bathing Water Regulations 2013
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk